Instrument holder and base therefor



Jan. 23, 1968 v. E. HOFMANN $365,154

INSTRUMENT HOLDER AND BASE THEREFOR Filed Sept. 27, 1965 INVENTOR: V10rm 5 Ham/1mm 1 ATTys.

United States Patent F 3,365,154 INSTRUMENT HOLDER AND BASE THEREFORVictor E. Hofmann, 608 Winthrop St., Toledo, Ohio 43620 Filed Sept. 27,1965, Ser. No. 490,242

11 Claims. (Cl. 248-116) ABSTRACT (3F THE DISCLGSURE A holder and a basemember to support a watch, or similar instrument, the holder havingresilient arms to embrace the watch, a pair of rearwardly extendedfinger loops formed integrally with the arms, and a link slidable alongthe loops to modify the resilience of the holder. The base memberembodies means with which the loops may be separably engaged forsupporting the watch thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in instrument holders of the typedescribed in my United States Letters Patent No. 2,600,771.

In that patent there are described holders for instruments such as timepieces, which holders comprise generally a plurality of arms divergingfrom a common central region, the arms being provided with pre-shapedextremities adapted to embrace a portion of the periphery of aninstrument such as a timepiece or more particularly a stop-watch. Theholder also includes rearwardly extending loops or loop portions adaptedto be engaged by a users finger to facilitate the support of theinstrument in the users hand.

The present invention comprises a mounting element or platform for sucha holder adapted to support the instrument and its holder in apredetermined or predefined operating position on a supporting surface;in addition, the invention comprises a modified form of holder and basetherefor having new and novel engaging means for engaging an instrument,and furthermore comprises means for regulating the degree of resiliencyor holding pressure to be exerted by the holder on the instrument.

The mounting element or platform comprises a base portion and anupwardly extending projection thereon having notches oppositely disposedtherein to receive loop portions of the holder and thereby support boththe holder and the instrument held thereby in a convenient, stablegenerally erect, partially tilt-back position on a supporting surfacesuch as a table, shelf or the like, in a manner to present a full faceview of the instrument to a user and facilitate the operation thereof. Astop-watch supported in this manner may be operated through thecustomary start-stop steps by a more or less rapid manipulation of theoperating buttons on the watch with a minimum of effort by the user ascompared to ones physically and manually holding a watch in operatingposition for such manipulation. The face of the watch will be visiblefrom its nominally erect position when held in the holder of thisinvention, and manipulation of the mechanisms of the watch will besimple and free.

The holder may be quickly and readily attached to or removed from thebase by the interaction of the notches in the projection element withthe lower edges of the loop portions of the holder, by a simple rotativemovement of one part with respect to the other. When it is desired thatthe watch be carried in the users hand it is necessary only to turn orrotate the base portion a quarter turn with respect to the holder, andthe holder will be set free from the base. A finger of the user may thenbe passed through the loops at the rear of the holder in a manner thatthe watch may be held firmly in the palm of the hand. It may then beoperated in a facile manner with the fingers of either hand;furthermore, the watch 3,365,154 Patented Jan. 23, 1968 may be seen andread clearly without the nuisance or interference of fingers being inthe way as when they at least partially overlap the face of the watch ifa holder such as described is not used.

It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide a new,novel and economic instrument holder and removable base therefor adaptedfor supporting an instrument in a predetermined position.

Another object of this invention is to provide an instrument holderhaving novel means for holding captive a portion of an instrument beingheld thereby.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for resilientlyholding an instrument and having associated therewith means forregulating the degree of resiliency by which said instrument is held.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a base element forengaging an instrument holder having means for facilitating theengagement or disengagement of said holder from said base.

To this end there is provided an instrument holder and base thereforwhich together are adapted for mutual cooperation for supporting aninstrument in a desired position on a suitable supporting surface; thebase comprising a generally broad and essentially flat main elementhaving an upwardly extending relatively short cylindrical mound shapedprojection at or near the central region thereof, the projection havinga pair of opposed notches near the bottom thereof adapted to receivecooperating portions of the instrument holder, so that the holder may beengaged with or disengaged from the base with a minimum of time oreffort.

The invention also includes means adjustably mounted on the holder forregulating the tension by which the holder may grip the instrument beingsupported thereby.

The above mentioned objects and other features of the invention and themanner of attaining them will become more apparent and the inventionwill be best understood by reference to the following specification,reference being made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the device of the inventionshowing an instrument as it may be held in a desired position thereby;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the device of FIG. 1 showing theparts in operating position;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the device which illustrates a procedurefor engaging or disengaging the holder element and the base element;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the base element illustrating therelative position of the notches therein;

FIG. 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along the line 5-5 ofFIG. 2, illustrating the manner in which the tension of the holder maybe regulated, and also showing the holder being supported on the baseelement;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional fragmentary view taken along the line 6-6 ofFIG. 4, showing parts of the invention in disengaged position;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view illustrating the path of movement of ameans for adjusting the holding tension of the device;

FIG. 8 is a detail perspective view of an adjustment device in blankform before being attached to the holder;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional fragmentary view of a modified form of basehaving hook elements associated therewith; and,

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a further modified form ofholding means wherein the planar surface of the base element is providedwith slots having otpposed ear portions formed therein adapted to engagethe holder.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a base element 10 has a generally flat topsurface 12 upon which an instrument w such as a stop-watch 14 and aninstrument holder 16 may be mutually supported. Near the central regionof the surface 12 an upwardly extending projection 18 of generallycircular form is provided, the projection having a pair of notches 20formed therein to receive a pair of ring-like loops or appendages 22formed on the holder 16. This construction provides means formaintaining a predetermined and generally erect position of theinstrument .14 and permits the manipulation or operation of theinstrument without being held or carried by the user. An abutmentelement 23 is provided on the base 12 for the purpose of providing arest against which the watch 14 may be urged during nominal flexure ofthe parts as the stem 28 is depressed during use. The loops may be of asize and shape to generally fit a finger of a users hand and when theinstrument and its holder are removed from the base the loops 22 inencircling the finger will securely fix the watch in operating positionin the users hand.

The instrument holder 16 may be formed of a single length of resilientmaterial such as in the range of .060" to .080" diameter spring wire andcomprises a bail portion 26 (FIG. 3) adapted for engagement with a stem28 of the instrument 14. The bail portion 26 is shaped to fit the stem28 and to generally encircle it in a manner to prevent ordinarydetachment therefrom. In fact extraordinary attention is required toattach or detach the bail portion of the holder from the watch; theparticular method for attachment, however, will be more fully describedhereinafter.

A tensioner bar or clip 34 may be located on the loops 22 for thepurpose of regulating the degree of holding power of the side arms 30against the instrument 32. The degree of holding power may be a maximumwhen the clip is moved to the full line position 34, as viewed in FIG.7, and may be a minimum when in the dotted line position 34a.

When it is desired to attach the instrument 14 and the holder 16 to thebase 10 it is only necessary to guide the lower parts of the loops 22over the projection 18 of the base and then rotate the base relative tothe holder until the loops 22 snap into the notches 20. The tensionerclip 34 may be moved on the loops 22 to a position where the bestholding power is attained. In order to remove the holder from the baseit may be rotated approximately 90 degrees as seen in FIG. 3, wherebythe loops will be caused to spread sufficiently to be set free of thenotches 20 and permit removal of the holder therefrom.

In operation, the holder 16 may be attached to the watch 14 in thefollowing manner. The stem 28 may be directed to a position 28a betweenthe loops 22 (FIG. 7), then passed upwardly with a curved movementturning the watch to a vertical position whereby the stem 28 will becaused to slip into engaged position within the bail and held at leastpartially captive therein. The extremities 30 of the holder 16 may thenbe snapped outwardly into place over the lower portion of the watch. Areversal of the above procedure may be used when detachment of the partsis desired. After the holder 16 has been attached to the Watch 14, thetensioner element 34 may be moved to a position on the loops 22 where asuitable regulation of the holding pressure of the holder on the watchis attained, and the holder 16 may then be attached to the base 12 asheretofore described.

This invention therefore provides a very simple, economic andexpeditious manner of mounting a stop-watch in an operating position ona table, the user being free to manipulate the watch in the usual way.The watch and holder may be readily detached from the base and may becarried in the palm of the hand safe against dislodgement merely byslipping a finger through the loops of the holder. This is an importantfeature when timing a sports event, or conducting time studies infactories and so on, because the watch may be carried unobtrusively andmay be manipulated freely without the aid of straps or otherencumbrances, the watch always remaining in proper operating position inthe users hand. With the watch held in this manner the loops 22 remainsnugly on the finger and the watch may be easily and quickly operated inthe usual manner without the danger of slipping or flipping out of thedesired position. The fingers remain relatively relaxed and the watch isprotected against sudden jolts or forces which might otherwise dislodgethe watch from the users hand.

When it is desired to attach the instrument 14 and its holder 16 to thebase 10, it is only necessary to guide the lower parts of the loops 22over the projection 18 of the base and then rotate the base relative tothe holder until the loops 22 snap into the notches 20. The tensionerclip 34 maybe moved on the loops 22 to a position where the best holdingpower is attained. In order to remove the holder from the base it may berotated approximately degrees as seen in FIG. 3, whereby the loops willbe spread sufficiently to be set free of the notches 20 and permitremoval of the holder therefrom.

A modified form of the invention is shown in FIG. 9 and comprises a baseelement 10a having a pair of upstanding hook members 36 formed thereonadapted to engage the loops 22 of the holder. A simple rotative movementof the holder may be used in this form also to engage or disengage theholder from the base.

A further modified form of the invention is shown in FIG. 10 andcomprises a base element 10b having oppositely arranged slots 38 formedtherein adapted to receive the loops 22 of the holder, the slots beingprovided with ears 40 adapted to engage the lower portions of the loops22 of the holder and to securely hold the loops therein. The slots maybe shaped with a predetermined curved contour adapted to guide or camthe loops 22 away and out of engagement with the ears 40 when the baseis rotated, to facilitate removal of the loops and thence the holderfrom the base.

While there is described above the principles of this invention inconnection with specific apparatus, it is to be understood that thisdescription is made only by way of example and not as a limitation tothe scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A holder for a timepiece, said holder comprising 1) arms adapted toembrace and retain a timepiece, said arms extending generally verticallyrelative to and having terminal portions engageable with; a timepieceretained thereby, (2) a pair of rearwardly extending, laterally spacedand generally vertically oriented finger loops structurally integralwith said arm and located generally centrally thereof, the lowermostsegments of said loops lying at a level close to but below the level ofthe lowermost portions of said arms and forming therewith a supportingeasel for a timepiece retained thereby, said loops also being resistantto lateral displacement relative to each other, and (3) a basecomprising (a) a generally horizontal platform and (b) means on theupper surface of said platform for separable engagement with the lowersegments of said loops for restraining said loops against disengagementwhile providing for relative movement of said means and said loopscircumferentially of said loops.

2. A holder according to claim 1 in which the arms and loops areintegrally formed of a single length of resilient wire that is adaptedto be looped around the front of the stern of the timepiece and that hastwo lower, outwardly directed arms for embracing the edge of thetimepiece.

3. A holder according to claim 1 and means engaged with the loops forrestraining said loops against lateral displacement.

4. A holder according to claim 1 in which the loops are resilient andthe means on the platform consists of an upwardly extending projectionhaving a major lateral dimension greater than the lateral distancebetween the lowermost segments of said loops and undercuts on up. positesides thereof that are engageable by said loops.

5. In a support for an instrument having a periphery, the combination ofa platform, a holder of resilient wire adapted for engagement with saidinstrument comprising a plurality of divergent arms, hook-shapedterminal portions on said arms adapted to embrace the periphery of theinstrument to be supported, a pair of loops extending rearwardly fromsaid arms in spaced apart relation with each other, said platformcomprising a base portion and a projection thereon havingcontrapositioned notches therein in engagement with said loops, saidnotches being spaced farther apart than said loops when said loops arein their relaxed state, said loops being in their unrelaxed state whenheld in said notches.

6. A support for an instrument of generally circular form, said supportcomprising a holder formed of a single length of wire, a pair of arms onthe holder having arcuate terminal portions adapted to engage lowerportions of the instrument, an intermediate bail portion of the wireextending upwardly from the arms adapted to engage an upwardly extendingstem of the instrument, loop portions formed in said wire between saidbail portion and said arms, and a base comprising means to engage lowerportions of said loops.

7. In a timepiece holder formed of resilient wire and comprising aframe, the combination of at least three laterally divergent arms two ofwhich comprise generally arcuately shaped terminal portions adapted toembrace the periphery of a timepiece, the third of which arms comprisesa bail portion adapted to embrace a stern portion of the timepiece,loops associated with said frame extending rearwardly therefrom inspaced apart relation with each other, and regulating means slidablealong said loops to regulate the spacing of said loops and theresilience of said arms.

8. A holder for a timepiece, said holder comprising (1) arms adapted toembrace and retain a timepiece t-herebetween, said arms extendinggenerally vertically relative to and having terminal portions engageablewith a timepiece retained thereby, (2) a pair of rearwardly extending,laterally spaced and generally vertically oriented finger loopsstructurally integral with said arms and locatable generally centrallyof a timepiece retained by said arms, the lowermost portions of saidloops lying at a level close to but below the level of the lowermostportions of said arms and forming therewith a supporting easel for atimepiece retained thereby, and (3) adjustment means associated withsaid loops to regulate the retention force 5 of the holder.

9. A holder formed of resilient wire for a timepiece, said holdercomprising (1) arms adapted to embrace and retain a timepiecetherebetween, (2) a pair of rearwardly extending generally parallel andlaterally spaced finger loops formed integrally with said arms, and (3)adjustment means associated with said loops to vary the lateral spacingthereof and the retention force of said arms.

10. A base for an instrument supporting means, said means having a pairof laterally spaced, generally vertically oriented loops that extendgenerally rearwardly of an instrument supported thereby, said basehaving (1) a generally centrally located portion defining a pair ofgenerally fore and aft extending slots therein that are laterally spacedequally from opposite sides of a vertical central plane and that are ofopposite hand, and (2) projections extending horizontally andtransversely relative to such central plane and overlying the lowermostportions of said loops when said loops are engaged in said slots,whereby rotation of said instrument supporting means relative to saidbase on a generally vertical axis lying in said central plane disengagessaid loops from beneath said projections.

11. A base element according to claim It in which the centrally locatedportion of said base consists of an upwardly extending protrusion andthe slots are defined by undercuts in opposed sides of said protrusion.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS JOHN PETO, Primary Examiner.

